FresnoZionism.org — ציונות פרסנו

Rubinstein is an Israeli writer, law professor, and politician.

“A well-known professor said not long ago that we have to adopt the values of the Middle East in which we live. I would like to ask him which values he is talking about. About the humiliation of women? About corporal [sic] punishment? About the hanging of a homosexual a month ago in a city square in Iran? About the flogging to death of a young homosexual in Saudi Arabia? About the Nazi propaganda in Egypt? I really want to know. What values are we talking about? After all, there is not one Arab state that upholds the values of freedom of expression, human rights and minority rights.
— Amnon Rubinstein

An excerpt on Israpundit, the entire interview in Ha’aretz.

Technorati Tags: Rubinstein

The Gaza strip is drowning in filth, says Al-Jazeera. How bad is it?

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Preparations are being made to open a second front against Israel from Gaza when the next round of the war with Hezbollah (and possibly Syria) breaks out:

According to official sources in Jerusalem, some 100 Hamas terrorists crossed the Rafah border terminal in recent weeks. Intelligence information collected by the defense establishment indicates that the terrorists make their way to special training camps in Iran and Syria, founded specially to train and coach Palestinians for terror attacks against Israel should Hamas decide to terminate its ceasefire.

Security officials in Israel said this phenomenon was part of the recent trend by which Iran and Syria have shown increasing involvement in developing Palestinian terror infrastructure in the Gaza Strip. — YNet

For more discussion of imminent threats from the north and south, see my previous post and also this.

Technorati Tags: Israel, Hamas, Gaza, Syria

Syria is building up forces on her border with Israel:

According to [IDF] officials, the Syrian military – while restricted in the number of troops it is allowed to deploy along the border – has moved military infrastructure, including fuel depots, closer to the frontier. The Syrians have also built structures in the area that could serve as weapons stores and military bases.

“There is no doubt that something out of the ordinary is taking place on the Syrian side of the border,” a high-ranking official said. — Jerusalem Post

Note also that Hezbollah is busy constructing installations north of the Litani River, where they will not be inspected by UNIFIL.

Whether or not these developments warn of war in the near future, they will certainly be part of the pressure applied to Israel to give up the Golan Heights. The US has recently announced that it will be talking to Syria and Iran about Iraq, and it’s certain that the Golan will be part of the quid pro quo that will be demanded by Syria.

Technorati Tags: Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Hezbollah